Notes on Kansas History: Maps and Mapping

Map Basics

Maps are tools to learn about places. They come in many types: some show physical features, others show how humans have divided land into countries, states, and cities. Maps can display population, climate data, and more. Despite varying content, all maps share common features: a title, a scale, a legend or key, and a compass rose.

Map Features

The title tells you what kind of information you will find on a map. The scale shows how far apart places are; in the United States, distance is measured in miles. For example, 1.5 inches on this map equals 100 miles; the distance between Hayes and Colby is about 1.75 inches, which corresponds to a little over 100 miles. The legend or key explains what symbols mean for cities, rivers, mountains, airports, and other features. A compass rose shows the cardinal directions: north, south, east, and west. Intermediate directions lie between cardinal directions, e.g., northeast is NE and southeast is SE.

GPS and GIS

GPS stands for Global Positioning System. It uses latitude and longitude coordinates to pinpoint a location. In the 1970s, the United States launched a program using satellites to support location finding. Today, GPS is accessible on computers, cell phones, and in cars. A geographical information system (GIS) uses data collected from GPS satellites and allows geographers to layer information on a map to see relationships, patterns, and trends, making it easier for researchers to share information.

Maps Past and Present

Historians compare historic maps with modern maps to compare information. The top map is an 1875 bird’s‑eye view of Cottonwood Falls, a view drawn by an artist after the Civil War. Bird’s‑eye maps offered a perspective from above, since photography from the sky was not available. The bottom map is a modern GIS map of Cottonwood Falls, which also presents a bird’s‑eye view but uses satellite imagery and aerial photography instead of an artist’s depiction.

Reading the Cottonwood Falls Example

Both maps show spatial relationships in the town. You can match the two maps by locating the Cottonwood River and the bridge. On the historical map, note a mill by the bridge; it was built in the 1860s to provide water power for a sawmill. Almost 50 years later, that mill was upgraded and expanded to generate electricity. On the GIS map, locating the Cottonwood River and the bridge reveals a large blue circle marking the historic mill. The 1875 map’s point of view was the artist’s imagination; today, we would obtain a similar perspective through satellite imagery or aerial photography.